Clashes erupt during march to Election Commission headquarters; 200 MPs including Rahul arrested; EC silent on “vote chori”

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties united on the issue of vote theft raised by Rahul Gandhi. Opposition parties that are not part of the INDIA Front also joined the protest march led by Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, the Election Commission continues to remain silent.

The march from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters was stopped by the police as soon as it crossed 100 meters. It was announced that 30 MPs would be allowed to enter the commission office, which is one kilometer away.

The MPs who demanded unity sit in front of the barricade. They shouted slogans of 'Central government-Election Commission collusion'. There was a scuffle with the police. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav jumped over the barricade. Congress MP Dean Kuriakose and others tried to cross the barricade. Trinamool women MPs from West Bengal, Mahua Moitra and Mitali Bagh, who tried to jump over the barricade, were forcibly pulled down by the women police. Both of them fainted.

The unconscious Mitali Bagh was shifted to a vehicle by women MPs. Rahul Gandhi arrived and gave her water and medicine. She was shifted to the hospital in Rahul Gandhi's vehicle. The police arrested everyone.

Along with Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, Akhilesh Yadav, Sanjay Rawat and others were taken into custody and taken to the Parliament police station in a bus. All the UDF and LDF MPs from Kerala were arrested.

The opposition protested as soon as Parliament met at 11 am. The march was held after they gathered at the Makara Dwara gate of Parliament at 11.30, after the House was adjourned. The aim was to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission.

Karnataka Minister Resigns

Karnataka Cooperative Minister K.N. Rajanna has resigned, criticising his own party, the Congress, for not recognising the irregularities in the voter list in time.

"The voters' list was prepared when our government was in power. At that time, the irregularities were not noticed. Everyone turned a blind eye and remained silent. It is the duty of the leaders to respond on time. They should have expressed their opposition. They were silent then and are speaking now.``- This was the crux of the criticism.

The high command had decided to remove Rajanna from the ministerial post after the remark became controversial. Rajanna, who came to know about this, submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

"This is a fight to save the Constitution. There is no politics in this. They were stopped because they could not speak. The country is seeing the truth. We need a clean voter list."

-Rahul Gandhi